I realize that an undertaking this ambitious requires the hard work and input of many people, but when was the last time you read a book where the acknowledgments and introduction was more than 58 pages long (hard copy)?
Twain's sharp wit shows up in places, but it mostly just rambles.
"Think twice about donating your papers to an institution of higher
learning, Famous Writer: someday they may be used against you." Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 2 (audiobook) - Mark Twain
I feel like I just completed an Iron Man
Though I am glad to have read these two books, I don't think I'll be signing up for the third installment if and when it makes its appearance.
“Attitude is the scale on which we balance our strengths and
limitations. Outside circumstances are less important in the long run
than our inner view of our selves.”
This book pretty much marches you through how to plan your path to your goals. It is, however geared toward corporate success.
Or maybe it was to learn form corporate success.
Prioritizing your goals makes up the bulk of the book.
The author sets forth the types of people and issues that the book will address, then sets about explaining how, in detail.
A lot of "shoulds" are thrown about, as if it were simply that easy.
“When I run the world, librarians will be exempt from tragedy. Even
their smaller sorrows will last only for as long as you can take out a
book.”
If nothing else, this book made me recognize that no matter what, my family will always be nirvana compared to this family.
But I got a great quote!
"Rache!"
I'm not usually a fan of political intrigue or historical fiction, (both of which are apt descriptions of this story) but a murder mystery is a murder mystery, no matter how grand the plot.
Oh, then there are several of the most famous (infamous) characters ever penned. "Tell all the truth but tell it slant"
“Reading was not a fallback position for her but an ideal state of being.”
I really wanted to love this book. How could I not love a book with quotes like this one?
I didn't. At all. The characters were not likeable, and the story is told from too many points of view. The narrative flow is sluggish and I had a hard time staying interested.
But isn't that quote great?
This was an interesting mix of authors, some of which I might not have chosen had I been looking at novels.
The strength of the short story is its ability to entice the reader to try something new, something different, and just maybe be pleasantly surprised.
"There are three things you need to learn in life, Sofie. First, how to
dance like you're alone. Second, to love like you mean it. And, third,
you need to learn to laugh at the rain. Learn how to do those three
things, and you'll be happy, always."
The narration by Anna Fields was entertaining. The book (fist one in a(nother) series) was light weight as far as murder mysteries go, but enjoyable none-the-less, although I did, on occasion, want to slap Sofie upside the head.
"I pay him the tribute of speaking of him and feeling about him precisely
as I did when he lived; the insult would be to smear his corpse with
the honey excreted by my fear of death."
In this outing Nero Wolfe actually leaves, not only his house, but the country!
A stolid bit of masterfully written noir on a rainy day is just the thing. That and a cup of tea. Oh, and some good biscuits. And chocolate. Don't forget the chocolate.
"I would appreciate it if they would call a halt on all their devoted
efforts to find a way to abolish war or eliminate disease or run trains
with atoms or extend the span of human life to a couple of centuries,
and everybody concentrate for a while on how to wake me up in the
morning without my resenting it.
"It may be that a bevy of beautiful
maidens in pure silk yellow very sheer gowns, barefooted, singing Oh, What a Beautiful Morning and scattering rose petals over me would do the trick, but I'd have to try it." (a sentiment I definitely share)
I think my favorite thing about the Nero Wolfe mysteries is how incredibly dense with detail and character they are. Also, it's a fair bet that if Archie Goodwin dislikes someone, you will too.
"When you announce you have caught a fish,
it helps to have the fish present in person."
Four excellent novellas make up this book. Three of the four are set at holidays, and all of them are great.
(Can you tell I'm a Nero Wolfe fan?)
"The setting sun burned the sky pink and orange in the same bright hues as surfers' bathing suits. It was beautiful deception, Bosch thought, as he drove north on the Hollywood Freeway to home. Sunsets did that here. Made you forget it was the smog that made their colors so brilliant, that behind every pretty picture there could be an ugly story."
The first book in the Harry Bosch series, and it did not disappoint. I enjoyed it immensely, and anxiously await the next book in the series. (I'm on the waiting list at the library. Sigh.)
"I never thought I'd have to say this to another woman, but you just don't get it."
The aftermath of the tanking economy has been felt all over, and some of us have had to get creative about making ends meet.
Luckily, Tess Monaghan was not only good at it, she was able to parlay it into help for her friend.
"Tell you what. You do what ever it is you feel you have to do. I'll go upstairs. And you don't come back again until it's my personal Sheila you want to tinker around with. What do you think about that?"
I really did like the first book in the series, even if Sofie did tend to go on about her bad luck as she continued to act like a door mat.
But either this one is filled with more of the incessant whining, or I've just reached my limit. The plot was completely subsumed for me by the irritating characters and inanity.
Sorry, Sophie.
"The average American reads five books a year. When you factor in students, who are assigned a fair number of books, plus those of us who read many more than five, there are a lot of folks out there pulling the average down. It would be enough to make you laugh if you don't weep to learn that 27% of the pollsters admitted that they hadn't read a single book in the year."
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." - Mark Twain (attrib)
This book was born of the need to find a creative way to save "The Mysterious Book Shop," from the ravages of today's all too common economic realities.
In a word, I loved it! Okay, that's three words. It is a fun idea, and the fact that it helped save a book store just adds to the enjoyment.
One pet peeve: of the twenty-one authors in the book, only four are women. I know for a fact that there are many more deserving female mystery writers available. Perhaps the imbalance can be put right moving forward, after all, I plan to actually buy this book - and I would but any subsequent offerings.
"To forget is normal. To forget that you forgot is not. In other words, as long as you keep remembering that you forgot, you're going to be okay."
"You aren't losing your mind; you just can't remember where you put the keys."
The authors begin with the basics on how the memory works, move into figuring your strengths and weaknesses, then offer practical exercises to strengthen the memory. There is also information on drugs and therapies in the hope that they might help the reader make complete and informed decisions.
I plan to buy this in paperback because I will be trying to make some of the exercises a part of my routine, and it will be nice to have it handy for reference.
"You see, but you don't observe."
Mindfulness, aka metacognition, is the heart of this book. Examples from Conan Doyle's work and life are presented in light of the scientific method and illuminated as useful ways of thinking for us in the really real world. Did that make sense?
Just about every teacher has had to take umpteen courses on metacognition and critical thinking. How I would have loved a course on critical thinking with this book as the basis. Practicing mindfulness with Sherlock Holmes would have been fun.
Now if only Jonathan Kellerman could help me out on the treadmill.
"Eureka!
"I always wanted to say that."
Political and preachy, but with an interesting mystery that needs solving. This book was a mixed bag.
I will need to read at least the next one to make up my mind about the series.
"And
what call would a cat have for a needle and thread?” she demanded,
unplacated. “Even if the beastie could work the latch on my sewing
case."
A very short, quick read. Good, though it ends rather abruptly.
I thought it would be from Mrs. Hudson's pov, but it was not. That was a disappointment.
"This audio program is my attempt to share with you something I take very seriously, entertaining in my home, my style. It may not be the proper way or the most traditional, or even legal, but it works for me."
This book made me feel like an incredibly competent party planner, and I haven't even used it yet.
I have no doubt now that if I ever actually have a party, it will be a rousing success!
How about a sample recipe:
Amy Sedaris' Cupcakes
1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter
1 ¾ cups of sugar
Beat well, then add:
2 large eggs
2 Teaspoons of pure vanilla
½ teaspoon of salt
2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
2 ½ cups of flour
1 ¼ cups of milk
Beat well, fill cups, and bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. You should get 24. I get 18, 'cause I'm doing something wrong.
Frosting
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 box of Domino confectionary sugar
¼ cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
Whip for a while, color if you want.
"There is no trap so deadly as the trap you set for yourself."
qtd. from: The Long Goodbye
There is something compelling about a strong protagonist, good at the job but slightly flawed. It makes me care and keeps me returning.
This book provided a complex plot with enough moving pieces to keep it interesting but nothing that seemed thrown in for filler (or distraction).
“If the system turns away from the abuses inflicted on the guilty, then who can be next but the innocents?”
I think I have a new crush.
In many mysteries the personalities are the focus of the story. In the better mysteries, the plot itself is the focus and the characters simply augment it.
"And while some husbands leave their wives only pensions, annuities, and insurance policies, the late Mr. Pargeter had ensured that his should also have more practical means of protection."
Fun. Fun. Fun. This is how I want to age.
Who am I kidding? I'm already older than Mrs. Pargeter, and I'm more than twenty years younger than she.
"Why, for years you've been camouflaging the most spine-tingling mystery stories in your pious plastic prayer book cover."
"Funny, she mused, inside she still felt thirty. Actually, she felt eighteen, but, please God, she had acquired a little more sense."
Sister Mary Helen is quite feisty for a nun who has been in the convent for over fifty years, and quite persistent. (And as you might guess from the quotes I've chosen, I identify with her more than a little.)
What I enjoy most about the poetry of Billy Collins is its, sometimes deceptive, simplicity. Then there is his humor, always a plus in my book.
His work is comforting in a way because of its familiarity, while it can challenge me out of my comfort zone at the same time, to embrace a new perspective.
I also liked listening to the audiobook. It's been a very long time since I've gotten to a poetry reading, and while Collins isn't the most animated reader, I still enjoyed it.
Here is the title poem from the book:
Aimless Love
This morning as I walked along the lakeshore,
I fell in love with a wren
and later in the day with a mouse
the cat had dropped under the dining room table.
I fell in love with a wren
and later in the day with a mouse
the cat had dropped under the dining room table.
In the shadows of an autumn evening,
I fell for a seamstress
still at her machine in the tailor’s window,
and later for a bowl of broth,
steam rising like smoke from a naval battle.
I fell for a seamstress
still at her machine in the tailor’s window,
and later for a bowl of broth,
steam rising like smoke from a naval battle.
This is the best kind of love, I thought,
without recompense, without gifts,
or unkind words, without suspicion,
or silence on the telephone.
without recompense, without gifts,
or unkind words, without suspicion,
or silence on the telephone.
The love of the chestnut,
the jazz cap and one hand on the wheel.
the jazz cap and one hand on the wheel.
No lust, no slam of the door –
the love of the miniature orange tree,
the clean white shirt, the hot evening shower,
the highway that cuts across Florida.
the love of the miniature orange tree,
the clean white shirt, the hot evening shower,
the highway that cuts across Florida.
No waiting, no huffiness, or rancor –
just a twinge every now and then
just a twinge every now and then
for the wren who had built her nest
on a low branch overhanging the water
and for the dead mouse,
still dressed in its light brown suit.
on a low branch overhanging the water
and for the dead mouse,
still dressed in its light brown suit.
But my heart is always propped up
in a field on its tripod,
ready for the next arrow.
in a field on its tripod,
ready for the next arrow.
After I carried the mouse by the tail
to a pile of leaves in the woods,
I found myself standing at the bathroom sink
gazing down affectionately at the soap,
to a pile of leaves in the woods,
I found myself standing at the bathroom sink
gazing down affectionately at the soap,
so patient and soluble,
so at home in its pale green soap dish.
I could feel myself falling again
as I felt its turning in my wet hands
and caught the scent of lavender and stone.
so at home in its pale green soap dish.
I could feel myself falling again
as I felt its turning in my wet hands
and caught the scent of lavender and stone.
"That unspeakable prepared biscuit flour! Fritz and I have tried it. Those things she calls
Sweeties! Pfui! And that salad dressing abomination -- we have tried that too, in an emergency.
What they do to stomachs heaven knows, but that woman is ingeniously and deliberately
conspiring in the corruption of millions of palates. She should be stopped!"
Archie needs to get himself a hobby for those down times some investigations tend to have. Being a reader who always has a book handy, I can't imagine being bored.
I have just one reservation about this story. Moriarty plots are among the laziest of all the plot lines in mystery fiction, and they raise my hackles on principle. This is the first of three Nero Wolfe mysteries including Arnold Zeck - Wolfe's Moriarty.
I'll deal, I suppose, but . . .
"Something I learned long ago. It is not necessary to know what a person is afraid of. It is enough to know the person is afraid."
Oooo ... noir.
Even the voice of the narrator, Alan Sklar, adds to the effect and conjures up the likes of Mike Hammer, Sam Spade, or Philip Marlowe.
"Rumor had it, though, that when provoked, the genteel Mrs. Coughlin, who had outlived two husbands, could sing a song of swearwords guaranteed to make a stevedore blanch. Whenever she let one slip in front of the nuns, Mary Helen noted, she had the uncanny knack of making it sound like the height of refinement."
Like the nuns I've known in my life, Sister Mary Helen has a gentle, compassionate manner and a backbone of steel.
"Every year for decades there had been great excitement over the
Largest Vegetable competition.
'That would be my husband', was the
standard comment."
Anglican priest and former MI-5 operative, in a small, remote, traditional English village, is an interesting mix, and not disappointing.
